Kenyans stuck in war-torn Sudan are now in jeopardy after the government closed its diplomatic mission on Sunday, June 4.
A statement from Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Korir Sing’Oei indicated that the closure was necessitated by the resurgence of fighting in war-torn Sudan which was targeting diplomatic missions.
The diplomatic mission had remained open to help facilitate the safe evacuation of Kenyans living in the North Eastern country.
“We continue to receive disturbing news of the targeting of diplomatic officials by armed groups in Khartoum, Sudan.
“Kenya Mission in Khartoum, which had remained open to facilitate the evacuation of any Kenyans still in the country, is now closed,” the PS announced in a statement.
On Sunday, April 16, as the war was in its infancy, Foreign Affairs Cabinet Secretary (CS) Alfred Mutua revealed that there were over 3,000 Kenyans living in Sudan.
“I want to assure everyone that we have made arrangements with our national airline in case the situation in Sudan gets out of hand.
“We have a plane on standby for evacuation purposes if the fighting persists,” the CS stated then.
At the time, Mutua revealed that the government had made necessary plans to evacuate every Kenyan to safety.
To ensure everyone gets home safely, the government kept its diplomatic offices in Sudan open despite many countries closing down theirs.
By the beginning of May 2023, over 900 Kenyans had been evacuated in a multi-agency operation involving teams drawn from Foreign Affairs and Defence ministries.
With the operation closed, the government is yet to release a statement on the number of Kenyans still living in Sudan and how they will be evacuated.
On Thursday, May 11, the warring factions in Sudan agreed on a truce to give space for peace dialogue and humanitarian aid.
The truce collapsed on Wednesday, May 31, after the army walked out of the agreement accusing the paramilitary of not respecting the truce commitment.
